


Blue

by neverwinter (KingPreussen)



Series: it takes a village [23]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Humor, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-16 06:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14806416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingPreussen/pseuds/neverwinter
Summary: Five times Taako thought he might be falling in love and one time he knew.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi adventure zone fandom i did not forget about you
> 
> ill be posting one little chapter a day until this is complete. theyll all be fairly short
> 
> im still working on other stuff for this au, but i wanted to ask so that i keep writing: is there anything at all youd like to see me write for taz? fair warning i know very little about the new stuff, only the balance arc
> 
> also is it worth it to buy that little... curious box or whatever for taako? after my payday i think i might haha
> 
> anyways, please let me know what you think!
> 
> (little warning for this first chapter: taako has some possibly upsetting ideas about sex, specifically that sex acts may be expected as "repayment"/ive been asked to add a warning for coercive rape but there is no rape or coercion in this work)

**\- 1 -**

Taako fucking _despised_ mornings. He slept in whenever he could, luxuriating in warm sheets until either his stomach or bladder protested and he was forced to get up. More often than not he would return to bed with his food and spend a few more hours relaxing.

While this habit seemed to go hand in hand with morning sex at first glance, Taako very often wasn't in the mood until he had a real chance to wake up and get some caffeine. If he wanted it, he initiated it. Not like that had been a problem for the past few years though--most everyone Taako slept with were one night stands, emphasis on _night_.

One morning, Taako woke up to his favorite warm sheets with the knowledge that it was definitely Saturday. But before he could get to the luxuriating part he felt an almost uncomfortably cool hand touch his back.

Ah, yes. Kravitz. Taako's boyfriend--and wasn't that a weird concept?--had stayed the night after their dinner date. Taako was too tired from work to really repay him for a wonderful evening but Kravitz didn't seem to mind.

Apparently he was ready to collect this morning, though. Taako thought about protesting for a moment while Kravitz' hand moved lower. It wasn't like he actually had to _participate_ , and he might even get an orgasm out of it. So he stayed silent.

Kravitz' wandering hand, surprisingly, started wandering up again. He swept his thumb in slow circles over Taako's shoulder blade, and then paused. Then he pressed the heel of his hand into the spot where his thumb stopped.

Taako groaned, burying his face into his pillow. "Is _-tus_ , Krav," he said, voice muffled. "Do that again." Without saying anything, Kravitz shifted, and then pressed at the same spot. "Oh my god, keep going!"

Kravitz chuckled quietly. "Take your pants off," he requested in a low voice.

Of course. Taako rolled his eyes, resigned, while he pulled his underwear down his legs and threw them to the other side of the bed--at least he had practice doing that face down. Kravitz didn't immediately reach to grope him though. He put both hands against Taako's shoulders and started to give him the best massage he'd ever gotten from a partner.

Taako wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when it was over, he felt like a perfectly cooked spaghetti noodle. He rolled onto his back and blinked sleepily at Kravitz, who was smiling above him… and conspicuously not aroused. "Oh," Taako said, both a bit confused and very pleased.


	2. Chapter 2

**\- 2 -**

Angus and Taako had developed a little Sunday morning tradition: Taako would pick something mindless to watch on Netflix and set himself up on the couch with towels and combs and whatever new, handmade cream he wanted to try in Angus' hair. Angus would bring his bee-shaped Pillow Pet (yes, Taako ordered a genuine article in the middle of the night from an infomercial phone number) and sit on the floor between Taako's knees, hair freshly washed and wrapped in a tee shirt.

That Sunday, Archer was playing loudly on the television while Taako carefully detangled Angus' thick curls, first with his fingers and then with a comb. "Damn Angus, you did a great job," Taako praised, partially out of pride and partially to distract Angus from the slight pinch of a stubborn knot. "It's basically detangled already. You been practicing?"

Angus wiggled happily while unwrapping one of the snacks Taako laid out on the coffee table. "Yes, Taako! I used the conditioner like you showed me!"

"You're a fuckin' natural, kid." Taako blindly reached into their hair tool box and pulled out an alligator clip, sectioning a chunk of Angus' hair away from the rest. 

Heavy gunfire from the television almost drowned out the sound of Taako's phone ringing but not quite. Taako, trying to tamp down his automatic frustration at having his and Angus' bonding time interrupted, didn't rush in curling Angus' hair in a little bun around itself. Then he cast Mage Hand and grabbed his phone off the kitchen table. Angus very kindly used the remote to turn the volume down.

Taako answered it without glancing at the caller ID, ready to blow whoever was on the line off immediately. "Busy, dude," he said as soon as he picked up the phone, one hand still pressed against the back of Angus' head to keep it at the right angle.

He got a familiar dark chuckle in reply, making something warm bloom in his chest. " _I won't keep you, then,_ " Kravitz said. He didn't even sound annoyed at Taako's rudeness. " _I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me today? There's a Dwarven restaurant on 4th that I think you'd like._ "

"Nah, sorry, can't hang." Taako adjusted his phone between his ear and his shoulder, using both hands to part another section of Angus' hair and comb soft shea butter through it. "Angus' got first billing."

Angus, mouth full of peanut butter cups, made a quietly pleased noise from his seat on the floor in front of the couch. Taako wouldn't have given up time with his kid regardless, but Angus' reactions to having any small promise kept to him spoke of a childhood full of being treated like a burden. In his new home, he was the most important factor in pretty much every decision Taako made.

" _Ah, I see._ " Kravitz paused, and Taako resisted the urge to sigh, twirling the section of Angus' hair around his fingers. He was waiting for the "you spend too much time with them" speech, where Kravitz attempted to get him to choose between his family and his relationship. Past boyfriends only had to contend with adult members of Taako's family… and his last ex had almost succeeded. 

Kravitz cleared his throat. " _I understand. I hope you're have a good time together. Tell him I said hello._ " Taako frowned; he could definitely hear the sincere smile in Kravitz' voice and it didn't make any sense. Where were the disappointed sighs, or the passive-aggressive anger, or any attempt to guilt trip Taako into changing his mind? " _Do you want to call whenever you're free so we can set up another time?_ " Kravitz asked without _any_ complaint.

"Oh, sure. Uh… I'll call you." When Kravitz hung up, Taako held his phone in his hand and just looked at it for a good few seconds.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honesty hour: im drunk. hopefully this reads okay lol

**\- 3 -**

"I love her so much, Taako," Barry said for the fourth time that evening, leaning against Taako with a drink too many in his hand. They were pressed shoulder to thigh anyway, tucked into the corner of a booth at the far end of the bar, talking about nothing.

Well, Barry was talking. Taako was abnormally quiet, nursing the same glass of Moscato that he had in his hand all night, kept cool with a Prestidigitation cast every few minutes.

Taako and Lup had known Barry for almost ten years before the twins moved to Neverwinter. Barry stayed south, too used to a life of odd jobs and long-stay hotels to commit to a permanent home. They kept in sporadic contact, surface level stuff: Lup, because she was unendingly busy, Taako, because he was just a flaky person, and Barry, because he was nursing a crush on Lup that still burned like the sun.

Barry suggested the three of them meet. Lup bailed, predictably, but Taako figured it wouldn't hurt to spend a few hours at a bar in familiar company. When he found out Lup wasn't coming, Barry got drunk pretty much immediately and started spilling his life story, most of which Taako already knew.

Feeling mentally exhausted and more than ready to go home and check on his son, Taako gently ruffled Barry's hair and sighed. "This just wasn't your night, Bluejeans. Let's fuck off back to your hotel and I'll see you in the morning."

"This is so fucked up," Barry said while burying his face in the collar of Taako's shirt and wrapping his arms around his waist. He almost sent both of their drinks to the floor but Taako caught them both with a quick Mage Hand. "Please don't tell Lup. I don't want her to know about this."

"No problerino. But we _really_ have to get you to bed."

* * *

Taako felt like a teenager sneaking back into their house after a wild party, except he was a full-grown Elf and it was _his own house_. He still moved as quietly as possible and didn't turn on any lights, but Kravitz was too light a sleeper to be fooled. He was already sitting up in Taako's bed, watching him stumble toward the bedroom and then come to a sudden stop just inside the doorway.

"Hi," Taako breathed.

"Hi," Kravitz replied, a wry smile on his face. "Have a good time?"

"No. Well, yes, but… not really." Taako started to peel his clothes off and dropped each article one by one on the floor. His normal nightly ritual would take too much effort, so he cleaned his face with Prestidigitation, wincing at the astringent feeling it left on his skin. 

He snatched up an overlarge tee shirt off the top of the hamper and haphazardly pulled it over his head. "Stay," he ordered Kravitz with a warning finger pointed in his direction. Kravitz held his hands up in surrender and Taako left the room to check in on Angus.

Taako found Angus asleep, sprawled out over his bed, blankets and pillows kicked onto the floor. Taako tucked him in again, moving with the unhurried confidence of a practiced parent, and earned a sleepy sound that could have been his name. He kissed Angus on the forehead before leaving the room and closed the door behind himself.

Kravitz had obediently not moved from the bed when Taako returned to his bedroom. Taako sleepily crawled up onto the bed and into Kravitz' lap, content to just lie against him and go to sleep.

"You smell like cologne," Kravitz murmured, shifting Taako to a more comfortable position.

"So do you," Taako hummed.

"Like someone else's cologne."

Taako's breath caught in his chest and he sat up, searching Kravitz' face for any sign of anger. "Sorry, I'm sorry Krav," he said hurriedly. "It's--he's a friend, I promise--"

Kravitz looked more surprised than upset. He gently took Taako's wrists in his hands and tugged him forward so they were pressed together again. "Darling, I understand!" He stroked his fingers through Taako's hair despite how dry and tangled it must have been that late at night. "You don't have to apologize," he said in a low, reassuring voice.

When was the last time Taako had been out with another man and not gotten some kind of scrutiny from his current boyfriend? Everyone assumed having male friends was an excuse to give him the second degree--toward the end of his relationship with… _him_ , Taako couldn't even meet with Magnus without a chaperone. Taako exhaled a shaky breath. "I helped him home," Taako explained.

"You're a gentleman, love." Kravitz let it go. Taako worried for a few more hours, and wasn't able to get to sleep until the sun came up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had a glass of wine and a bath before writing this, to get into the taako-mood

**\- 4 -**

Angus groaned and looked at the sky as if in prayer. "This sucks," he said with a genuinely upset expression on his face.

Taako could only agree. They had been waiting in line to get a copy of the newest Caleb Cleveland novel, signed by the author _in person_ , just to get the news from the bookstore staff that she wouldn't be coming. Apparently she was ill, which Taako understood on a personal level, but as a parent he was extremely pissed off. He basically promised to get Angus a chance to talk to his favorite author and now their opportunity was ruined. 

To make matters worse, Angus' perfectly reasonable frustration was swiftly turning into tears. Other children around them were already sobbing, and Taako could tell Angus was making a valiant effort to take the event as it happened, no matter his age. Angus pushed up his glasses to rub at his eyes and Taako's heart absolutely broke.

Before he could say anything to comfort his boy, Kravitz stepped in. He had mostly been preoccupied with his phone while they waited and Taako didn't want to bother him in case it was work stuff. The Half-Elf was already taking valuable time out of his day to stand in line with them; Taako felt a nervous fluttering in his chest at the thought of interrupting him.

"Sweetheart," Kravitz said in a soft voice, lifting Angus onto his hip like he weighed nothing and letting him bury his face in Kravitz' shoulder. "I know how much this meant to you. If you and your daddy want I can stay and get a book for you while you go home?"

Angus' shoulders hitched with every quietly heaving breath. "I don't know," he said. Taako moved closer to the two of them, sliding one arm around Kravitz' waist and stroking Angus' back with his other hand. "I'm r- _really_ mad."

"That's perfectly alright, my little love. Can I share a hypothetical plan with you?" He was speaking quietly, in deference to all of the other people standing in line on the sidewalk, but not so quietly Taako couldn't hear. Angus nodded, the curls at the back of his head bouncing with the movement while the rest were smushed down with a Caleb Cleveland-style flat cap. 

Kravitz shifted Angus a bit so he could look down at Taako. "You two go to the little café we saw on the way here. Parod's, I think? Get some water, wipe your face, have a little cool down. I'll come back with your book and take you home."

Angus was quiet for a moment. "You're leaving after?" he asked in a small voice without looking up.

"Not if you don't want me to. We never got to finish that Skyrim playthrough series."

The line moved a few feet forward. Angus finally lifted his head, eyes rimmed in red but no longer wet. "Okay," he said, and then politely asked, "Do you want anything from the coffee place?"

Kravitz' smile made Taako's heart melt like a chocolate bar left on the stove. "No thank you, sunshine," Kravitz refused, equally polite. "You and Taako take a break." Taako opened his arms and Kravitz transferred Angus into them--Angus fit against his side like a little puzzle piece and immediately hid behind Taako's mass of curls that he wore loose for once.

"Thanks, babe," Taako said, genuinely grateful. He accepted a chaste kiss from Kravitz before briefly lifting a hand from underneath Angus and giving him a little wave goodbye. Then they were off to the café Kravitz mentioned, away from the line of still crying children. One or two of them were throwing full-blown tantrums.

Angus was calm and thoughtful, absently twisting locks of Taako's hair around his thin fingers. Taako held him a little tighter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have some visual aids for this chapter! two are in the end notes
> 
> also, is this story linked somewhere or something? last night i got a bunch of reviews out of nowhere! im glad you all like it : )

**\- 5 -**

Taako helped Angus unbuckle his seatbelt but let him slide down out of the car on his own, his tiny footsteps echoing in the parking garage. "I have an idea for dinner," he said, reaching back into the car for his backpack while Taako got his Starbucks cup of ice-water out of the front cupholder.

"Lay it on me," Taako replied, shutting the driver's side door. 

"Remember when we went to Aunt Lup's for that barbeque and her friend made that really bad potato salad and you and her got in an argument and you made a better potato salad at the same party and you said that really good swear?" Angus asked all in one breath. Taako hid his laugh behind his hand, nodding encouragingly. "Can you make that? And maybe those spicy sausages from last week? And maybe also macaroni, but the kind that you bake so it gets brown on the top and I can eat all the corners which are the best parts?"

Taako laughed again, louder this time, but he reached out and took Angus' hand so he knew Taako wasn't laughing _at_ him. He locked the car doors with his key fob and gently began to lead Angus toward the stairs, avoiding a semi-permanent puddle of rainwater near the elevators. "Sounds perfect, Angles. I think I'm gonna need some help though."

Angus' hopeful little expression made Taako feel light despite his grueling day at work. "I want to help, dad!" he offered excitedly. "I can cut the potatoes! I promise I'll be careful!"

"I know you will, pumpkin." Taako opened the exit to the parking garage, letting them out into the still bright and warm evening. "Go on up. I'm gonna check the mail." Angus let go of his hand and entered the code for their building, holding the door long enough for Taako to enter and then running up the stairs. Taako watched him go for a moment, just to make sure he didn't trip, and then turned the opposite direction of the stairs to the mailboxes. 

He found the usual bullshit in their locker. Bills, credit card offers… a letter. Taako blinked as he lifted it to his face. There was no return address, just his own, written in curved black handwriting that looked like it was made with a fountain pen.

Taako carried it upstairs with the rest to find Angus standing outside the door instead of opening it like he normally would. Angus was looking down at a black box on the ground in front of their apartment, hands on the straps of his backpack like he was afraid of touching it.

"I wasn't sure," he said, a nervous tilt to his mouth. Taako hummed and cast Detect Magic but the box stayed flat, matte black. Then he leaned down and carefully put a finger to it, casting Identify. Nothing.

"I think it's fine." Taako stepped over it to unlock their apartment and let Angus inside. "Do me a favor, baby? After you wash up and get changed hang out in the living room for a minute. We can get started on cooking after I open this."

Angus nodded and trotted to his room to do as Taako asked, leaving him with the mail and the box. Taako dropped his work bag near the coat rack by the front door and put the bills on the kitchen table. Then he took the box and the letter into his own room and set them on the bed.

First he opened the letter, moving slowly so he didn't rip the envelope. There was an actual, handwritten note inside on a sheet of plain white paper.

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=l9wgm)

[Text reads: Darling, Call me a hopeless romantic, but as soon as I saw this, I thought of you. Let me know if you like it. Kravitz x]

Taako read it through a few times, and then carefully flattened out the paper and set it on his nightstand. The only time he had seen a love-letter in person it was something Magnus was writing to Julia and wanted a second opinion on. For Taako to get one himself…. He felt his face heating with a rare blush and thanked Istus he was standing alone in his room.

The box became that more intriguing. Taako opened it much less carefully than he had his envelope, ripping the unobtrusive black tape from the bottom and lifting the top. Inside there were several sheets of golden tissue paper, which Taako folded away with trembling fingers.

The most gorgeous, delicate looking set of lingerie Taako had ever seen was lying inside. He lifted up the opaque bralette, more lace than cup in deference to the size of his chest, and ran his thumb over the soft fabric. Then he moved to the sheer panties and garter belt, no less soft but certainly more revealing. There were even stockings included, one of Taako's _favorite_ lingerie items to wear….

Taako took a deep breath and carefully returned every item to its place, refolded the tissue paper, and closed the box. He put the whole thing on his vanity and resolved to ignore it for the rest of the evening. After dinner he would call Kravitz without referencing his very generous present and invite him over so that they could break it in together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [the lingerie box](https://image.ibb.co/cSn1DJ/Custom_printed_cardboard_matte_black_box_jpg_350x350.jpg) and [the lingerie set (nsfw)](https://preview.ibb.co/cOTPYJ/6fc72fa4c9b8da989e86f396bddb996e.jpg)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time is very weird in this fic! but overall it happens just after gleam so im going to be moving it in the series soon. er, im also going to go through and make some edits to previous works so everything fits together. this is what i get for writing non-chronologically!
> 
> thank you so much for taking this little journey with me! i hope the last chapter is up to your expectations @__@

**\- +1 -**

"Hey," Taako breathed into his phone. He was curled up on his side in bed, holding his phone in one hand and pressing his other palm to his forehead. He woke to a splitting headache--he wasn't sure what time it was exactly but the room was dark and his alarm hadn't gone off yet--and his first and only thought was to call Kravitz.

" _Hey yourself, dearest,_ " Kravitz replied; he didn't _sound_ tired but he always kept odd hours. " _Are you alright?_ "

Taako's head gave a hard, painful throb and he groaned. "No. Come over?"

" _On my way._ " Kravitz hung up and Taako took the opportunity to toss his phone to the bottom of the bed and then reach over and hold the snooze button on his alarm clock to cancel it. Sometime later that morning he would have to get up and take Angus to school but he wasn't sure he'd be able to. Maybe that's why his body insisted on calling his boyfriend?

His painfully sensitive ears picked up the creak of his bedroom door as it opened. Then there were a few seconds of complete silence, and then soft footsteps padded toward the bed. "Daddy?" Angus murmured, pushing down against the side of the mattress. Taako groaned again. The pressure on the side of the bed increased as Angus climbed in.

Taako turned onto his back and looked up at him, watching him arrange himself against the pillows and rub his eyes. He wanted to say something, just in case Angus had a nightmare or needed his help, but before he could open his mouth Angus leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"No fever," Angus said to himself. Taako blamed his headache for the way his eyes began to sting with tears. "Do you want some water, daddy? Should I call Aunt Lup?" he asked, starting to sound worried.

"'S fine, pumpkin. Krav's coming over." He pushed down a wave of nausea, taking a few deep breaths before he continued. "He'll take you to school, 'kay?"

Angus giggled at him, probably the only sound that didn't threaten to make his headache worse. "It's Saturday!" he said in an excited whisper.

Taako closed his eyes. "Fuck. It is, isn't it." He felt terrible for calling Kravitz now, at Shar-blessed hours of the morning after a full work week for literally nothing. A few hours rest and Taako would be fine. Maybe if he _had_ called Lup she would have told him to fuck off like he deserved.

"Can Kravitz still come over?" Angus asked hopefully.

Too late now. "He's probably in his fuckin' car already. Shit." Taako reached over and pulled Angus under the blankets with him, earning another peal of childish laughter. "You're my prisoner now," he insisted as he held Angus to his chest, "and I demand sleep." He winced as another wave of pain washed over him. "Krav can make us breakfast."

Angus gave another quiet little cheer and Taako smiled against the top of his head.

* * *

When Taako awoke for the second time that morning he was still in pain--less pain than before, certainly, but also not great. His little space heater was gone from his side but there was an extra blanket draped over him to make up for the loss. Plus he smelled chocolate chip pancakes.

Before Taako could even think of getting up and searching for his boys, Angus came running through his open bedroom door, in daytime clothes with his glasses on. He stopped when he saw Taako's eyes were open. "Oh. Does your head still hurt?" he whispered, fumbling nervously with the frames. 

"A little. C'mere." Taako pushed off the blankets just enough to reach his arm out and Angus practically jumped onto the bed to hug him. "You two really did make breakfast, huh?"

"Angus was the head chef. I just did the stove parts," Kravitz demurred from the doorway. A pale green Mage Hand floated in front of him, holding an honest-to-Istus wooden tray stacked with pancakes and a mug of coffee.

Taako, still holding Angus tucked under his arm, could hardly think of an answer. "Great job, kid," he said eventually. "Looks fuckin' amazing. Y'all really went all out for this little headache."

Kravitz smiled lightly. "You scared me with that call. I'd do anything to help you feel better."

"You're so…." Taako trailed off and shook his head. He couldn't _not_ think about it anymore, not when he had the sweetest boyfriend on Faerûn that he definitely didn't deserve. The first thing Taako learned as a child and the last thing he would ever forget was to seize everything of value with both hands and not let go. He took a deep breath. "Kravitz, I love you."

"I love you, too," Kravitz replied immediately, his smile growing. He had said the words to Taako several times in the past month or so, not expecting them in return, but he looked adorably pleased to finally hear them.

Taako glanced down at Angus, who was looking between them with a curious expression. "What's up, Angles?" he asked, almost fearing the answer.

Angus frowned. "How many pancakes can I have? We made chocolate ones but they're breakfast so they’re healthy, right?"

Taako released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Fuckin'… a million, Angus. I'll make you all the pancakes in the world."

"Excessive," Angus deadpanned. Kravitz pretended his bark of laughter was a cough. And Taako got the sudden and unshakeable feeling that he had done something very, very right.

**Author's Note:**

> title from [blue nova](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC9GX7RKJXs)


End file.
